Panthers return to Prem as League 1 Champs

The Penrith Panthers made the most of the less-than-ideal conditions in Forster, taking out the round and the Forager Sydney Triathlon League 1 title in the process. Their efforts see them promoted back into the Premier League for ICL05 after just one season.

It’s been a long journey for this mighty club, with a long and impressive history in the sport of triathlon in NSW. This is a significant win for the committee of Panthers who have worked tirelessly to change the culture of the club from being seen by those internally and externally as an ‘Ironman Club’. Carlin, Matthews, McConnell, Roots, Sharp and Sweeny played their roles to perfection picking up vital points with their performances.

Panthers President Mark Thomas was thrilled to receive the news of the club’s victory and promotion.

“Wow, what a fantastic result for our members! We could not be more proud to have won the Forager Sydney Triathlon League 1 title and would like to thank Triathlon NSW for their commitment to the Interclub concept and the promotion of our sport. It’s been a while since Panthers Tri Club has topped the leader boards and now that we’ve experienced victory we won’t want to stop . I start by congratulating all our members who raced this season, whether at the Interclub Series, Club Champs, or local club races”.

For those who have been around the sport for a while, it is an ominous sign that PTC’s membership numbers are growing year on year and no doubt this club will be very competitive in season 2022/2023.

The Western Sydney FilOz Eagles were in fine form in Forster and their off-course entertainment was matched with superb on course performances. Kristie Caplikas contributed to their impressive 22-point finish which not only saw FilOz finish the round in second, but leap to 4^th overall – narrowly missing out on a promotion spot.

NSTC finished with a tidy 15 point at Club Championships, but it wasn’t enough to see them promoted for next season, after finishing 7^th overall – just 6.5points off a podium finish and the important promotional positions. Grace Kells was unlucky to miss the podium in her age-group but picked up performance points in fourth.

Brighton Polar Bears enjoyed the artic conditions, picking up 14 points and the final promotional spot in the process as they finish ICL04 3^rd overall. Macarthur and Engadine both picked up 13 points respectively and will return to League 1 next season. TriMob saved their best till last picking up a brilliant 9 points from CCs on debut, to finish in 8^th overall.

After a mammoth season T4 are handed a promotion to the Premier League in 2022/23 – no easy feat for a small club.

“We are delighted to have been promoted to the Premier League! A true testament to the performance of our T4 Athlete’s over the season! Being a smaller club, it means a great deal to us & we look forward to showing the bigger clubs makes T4 a force to be reckoned with,” says President Jay Luke.

With promotions handed to Penrith, T4 & Brighton, Sydney Triathlon League will welcome three new faces to the fold in ICL05. The FilOz Eagles are soaring so be sure to keep your eyes to the sky in the coming months – STL1 is anyone’s game come the new season.

Forager Sydney Triathlon League 1 (ICL04)

#	Club	Total	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6
1	Panthers	54.5	6	1.5	15	1.5	1.5	29
2	T4 North Bondi Tritans	42.5	0	0	9	9	11.5	13
3	Brighton Polar Bears	41	0	8.5	6	7.5	5	14
4	WS FilOz Eagles	39	5	0	9	3	0	22
5	Engadine Dingoes	37	0	0	9	15	0	13
6	Macarthur	35.5	4.5	2.5	10	5	0.5	13
7	NS Mighty Mites	34.5	2	0	9.5	8	0	15
8	Lion Island Lions	12	3	0	9	0	0	0
9	TriMob	12	0	0	3	0	0	9
10	LAPD Lightning	3	0	0	3	0	0	0
11	Australian Chinese Dragons	0	0	0	0	0	0	0